Progress Check

Since it has been about 9 days since I last looked at the bees, I thought it was time to see how they were doing drawing out new comb and bringing in nectar.  In both respects, things are looking like they are making adequate progress.

Hive #2 is the strongest hive, full of bees

I spent the most time in the new 8 frame hive, #3.  I still cannot find the queen, though I've looked very thoroughly 4 times now.  All I can think is she must be pretty small.  She is a laying machine, though, as there were 3 frames solidly full on both sides in the middle of 3 boxes, with many other frames having some capped and uncapped larva as well as numerous eggs.  The eggs are looking better centered.  I posted a question about this on beesource.com and the feedback basically indicated not to worry, as long as she is laying a good pattern I shouldn't be concerned.

With the recent heat and humidity, the bees have been washboarding on hives #1 and #2.  It's fascinating to watch.  If you haven't seen it, this is a great video showing this particular behavior.



Bees are still on the red raspberries.  I'm seeing a few more now on the white clover, which is very abundant.  We've had over 5 inches of rain in the past week, and plants are growing like crazy.  The butterfly milkweed in the back prairie is exceptionally pretty this year.

 

It's another plant the bees don't seem to care for.  They have plenty of clover now, though, so I suspect the next couple weeks, if it can stay a bit drier, will be very productive.